Chanel and Saks Fifth Ave.

[claireshaeffer]

This is a fyi post.
Several months ago I bought a dress and coat described as Chanel, but it had a Saks label and paid way too much for it. Since this was at auction, I didn't see the items beforehand. I should have asked the following questions:
Is the lining sewn in by hand?
Does the sleeve vent have buttons and/or buttonholes?
Does the sleeve vent work with real buttonholes?
Are the buttonholes made by hand with thread?

If the answer is "no", this item was not made by Chanel. It is a Saks copy. Saks bought the rights to copy it for their customers and reproduced it with good rtw techniques.

The good news about my outfit is that I can wear the coat and I look great! Naturally, since it's from the sixties the dress is too small in the waist.

 

[Jonathan]

That's interesting because I bought a Chanel on eBay in the late 90s (blurry blob bingo) with the same combination of labels but felt it was a fake for the same reasons you listed (plus I don't think it had a chain the jacket hem) and returned it to the seller saying that I didn't think it was authentic. I didn't realize it was an authorized copy per se - I thought it was an out and out fake. The seller was really nice about it and very apologetic - they said they picked it up at a garage sale and had no idea, which looked like a plausible excuse judging by the other items they had for sale, and I also recall I didn't pay much for it - maybe $90.00?

 

[claireshaeffer]

$90. was not cheap in the nineties and probably high for a copy, even an authorized one.

Saks bought them to copy like the manufacturers did.

If they have Chanel buttons, I assume they are authorized. If they look like Chanel with different buttons, I think they are knock-offs. Jablow, Davidow, and probably all the others who made authorized copies did both.

Davidow always asked Linton which fabrics Chanel had bought. I know they made authorized copies because some of the References are in the Davidow files at FIT. I don't know whether they looked at the Linton fabrics, then asked Chanel about copying or whether they bought rights for a couple, they fabrics for several more. These are some of many questions I would like to ask Chanel.

Forget the chain. This was and is the easiest element to copy.

 

[Markita Taylor]

Hello Ms. Shaeffer, I recently found a vintage tweed skirt suit, with Saks Fifth Avenue tag, and Chanel buttons. Can I list it for sell as a Chanel suit, how do a describe that it was reproduced by Saks, and not have a potential buyer thinking its a fake. Here is a pic of the suit, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, M. Taylor

 

[claireshaeffer]

You can't list it as a Chanel suit. It's a Saks copy or knock-off.

 

[Trish]

There's a seller on Etsy who has a Molly Parnis skirt suit listed as a Chanel Suit...I made a suggestion to change it but it fell on deaf ears.

 

[!Lily@]

Could a Chanel at Garfinckel's be listed as Chanel? I cannot even date this label...

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

Lily,

Hello! You might want to re-post this question in a new thread, so the question will be seen by more members.

If your garment is a Chaenl Boutique garment, then my answer is YES you certainly can list it as a Chanel. If a garment is Chanel Haute Couture, or Boutique or any other Ready-To Wear Chanel label, it is still Chanel. Just not couture Chanel, so make that clear to the buyers.